On October 1, 2026, the 1,681st day of the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin dismissed a proposal for a mutual ceasefire related to long-range strikes. The proposal had been made by Kyiv and notably by representatives of former U.S. President Donald Trump. Putin called the idea "simply ridiculous," stating, "They tell us: 'You stop bombing their ships, and we will stop bombing your refineries.' That is simply ridiculous." When asked again, he reaffirmed, "No." Putin also warned Western countries that Russia could use "all types of weapons," including nuclear, if NATO forces attacked the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad, which is bordered by Poland, Lithuania, and the Baltic Sea. He emphasized that Russia had no intention of attacking anyone, but added, "If we are faced with an aggression, we will retaliate. And the citizens of European countries should understand this." A report indicated that Lithuanian and American security services warned a renowned chess champion, now 63 years old and living in exile in the United States, that his life was in danger and that he should take precautions. On social media, he shared that learning he and his long-time partner and co-founder of the Free Russia Forum, Ivan Tyutrin, were on a list of assassination targets was not a surprise but still a shock to him. In September, the Ukrainian army reclaimed 172 km² of territory in the eastern Donetsk region, according to AFP calculations using data from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW). This counteroffensive, known as the "Vilvaldi" operation, aims to shift the front line away from key cities such as Sloviansk and Kramatorsk. In the rest of the country, Ukraine has only regained a total of 32 km² in the regions of Kharkiv (North), and Dnipropetrovsk and Lugansk (East). On the other side, Russian advances in the Zaporizhia (South) and Sumy (North) regions enabled Russian forces to capture 104.5 km² and 20 km², respectively. The Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, is increasingly becoming a target for Russian attacks. On Thursday, Russian drones struck a major bridge in Kyiv, marking the first significant attack on one of the city's main bridges since the war began. The bridge over the Dnieper River was closed for about 1.5 hours before being reopened. This viaduct is one of the two structures in Kyiv used by the metro. According to preliminary inspections, the municipal administration reported no critical damage to the bridge. Additionally, the Ukrainian nuclear agency disclosed that another device had struck an atomic research institute in Kyiv the previous day, but it did not hit the reactor located there.